‘Graves’ Creator On Why The Election Mattered To The Series Too – The Contenders Emmys Video

When it came to the Epix seriesGraves, a comedy that follows a former Republican President, creator-showrunner Joshua Michael Stern didn’t think that the recent Presidential election cycle would matter. “It actually did,” he said. “A lot of the underlying themes, [although] not so specific to what’s going on, but lot of the things the country is grappling with will show itself in the show.”

Stern was speaking at Deadline’s annual The Contenders Emmys event in front of a packed house of TV Academy and guild voters at the DGA theater.

Graves, which has been greenlit for Season 2, stars Nick Nolte as two-term President Richard Graves, who embarks on a quest to right the wrongs of his administration and reclaim his legacy 25 years after leaving the White House.

Stern said the lead role was specifically crafted for Nolte. “This is a case where the actor completely dictated the part,” he told moderator Michael Ausiello of TVLine. “He’s sort of this guy who’s gruff and whiskey-soaked voiced — kind of a trainwreck. Now that’s an ex-President that I might want to see.”